The Storm
by iiMNOTOKAY
Summary: A tournement takes place. Sakura and Kiba are picked as partners. Sparks will fly. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, this is my first fic, so it might be a little messed up. But, I hope you enjoy !**

**Pairings: Kiba x Sakura and others, but I'm far too lazy to write them **

**Disclaimer: I do not, and never will, own Naruto. All I own is … nothing, so thanks for making me feel poor.**

'thinking Sakura'

**Inner Sakura**

**The Storm.**

Chapter One: The Beginning.

The pink-haired girl sat limply on her bed. She was as fragile as a snowflake, and as pale as one as well.

'So… it's over…' The young girl thought to herself.

**What a bastard.**

'That's not going to make me feel any better.'

**..I know.**

Sakura was sick of the lonely feeling inside. She was sick of being disappointed day after day waiting for a certain Uchicha to notice her.

…But it was too late. He was gone. Sakura laid her head on her pillow, overcome with self-pity. She had sat up when she had come to a conclusion with her inner self.

'You know what... screw Sasuke. Who needs him?'

**Cheah ! So what if he's hot ? We'll find someone hotter !**

'Yeah… but who?'

Sakura had a battle raging inside of her, when a blonde-haired friend walked in on her.

"In!" Sakura had said with glee. She and Ino had become close friends over the years.

"Forehead! Listen, all us girls are going to this party tonight! You have to come!" Ino said with much excitement.

"Sounds great! When are we leaving?" Sakura asked, getting up from her bed, drenched with tears.

"Now!" Ino yelled, pulling her friend up by the hand.

"But… I'm… not.." Sakura said, trying to keep up with her energetic friend.

"Too bad!" The blonde said, running off into the unknown.

**(A/N) And now we go to the guys... woohoo.**

The blonde, whiskered boy could barely contain his excitement. He was ecstatic.

"Naruto, calm down. It's just a party." His lazy friend, Shikamaru, said.

A boy around their age carrying a dog on his head walked thru the door. He shook the snow off his jacket and took a seat near the boys.

"Kiba!" Naruto screamed.

"…Naruto…" Kiba mummered back.

Shikamaru was smirking behind his bored look. He knew something about Kiba the others didn't. Or, at least, that was what he thought.

Naruto was smiling ferociously. He knew a certain girl was going to be at this party tonight, who a certain someone had certain feelings for. This was going to be good.

Kiba sat in his chair nervously looking at the smiling blonde.

'Why is he smiling… Does he know about –' Kiba thought, while he was cut-off by a herd of teenage girls walking thru the door. He had a feeling he knew who it was.

"Shikamaru!" Ino yelled, then realizing her embarrassment.

"Naruto…" Hinata mummered, clicking her fingers together. (A/N: sorry if clicking was not the correct term… what would you call that hand motion she does? …idk)

Sakura gasped. She had noticed her crush sitting a few yards away from her. And he was looking straight at her. It was true, she had grown some feelings for Kiba over the years. But she wouldn't admit it to anybody, at least not quite yet.

Ino smiled at her pink-haired friend. She had always known Sakura had a thing for that Kiba boy. Perhaps she would mention something about him to make her confess.

The girls greeted the boys, the boys greeted the girls. What was the part for? Ino had no clue. She had been told by her mother that there was a party. Her mom had been acting strange lately. But, that was too bad, the party was going great.

The girls had stopped their sudden gabbing and looked towards a bottle, all my it's lonesome, in the middle of a table.

"You know what we should do…" Ino said, her lips curving into a smile.

"Oh… I think I do." Tenten said with glee.

Hinata stayed silent.

"Spin… the… bottle!" Sakura, Ino, and Tenten all screamed at once.

"Hey… guys. Guess what we're playing." Ino said.

"…Oh no." Neji moaned.

"Yes!" Naruto said, pumping his arm in the air.

Kiba remained motionless. His heart was beating faster, realizing the possibility of the bottle landing on one girl.

"Super. Well, you know the drill," Ino said, looking around at her friends circled around the bottle. "hm… Kiba, you're first!"

Sakura's heart melted.

'What if it lands on me..?'

**Hells yeah, it better!**

'…then I'll kiss him…'

**HELLS YEAH!**

Sakura rolled her eyes at her inner self.

"Kiba, spin the bottle now!" Ino yelled.

Kiba did as he was told. He spun the bottle nervously.

'Oh man, is there a way I can control the bottle? Can Akamaru help me here?' He worried.

The bottle spun a little slower ad Kiba crossed his fingers and wished with all his might.

But, sometimes, destiny finds a way to crawl into our lives.

**Yepp, that's it… Was it too short ? Or too long ? Or just plain horrible ? Ahh, please review. And, flame if you wish, they help me... sometimes.**

**Personally, I thought this chapter sucked, but idk. **

**Chapter Two coming soon !**


	2. Chapter 2 A Dream ?

**Hey guys, here's chapter two... I'm changing the plot a bit, so just please bear with me **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I will never own Naruto. But, if I did, I would have totally made a musical episode. Ohkay, maybe not, but you have to admit, that would be pretty sweet.**

**Chapter Two: A Dream ?**

The bottle began slowing down. Just when it was about to stop,

"Sakura! Breakfast!"

'…It... was… a… dream ?!?' An angry girl thought.

She reluctantly got up and began combing her pink hair.

**But a REALY good dream! **her inner-selfsquealed

'Yeah, but it wasn't real…' Sakura thought.

She chewed on that thought for a bit, when a loud noise from outside screamed her name.

"Sakura! SAKURA! I need to tell you something!" A recognizable voice yelled.

**This better be good…**

The young woman hastily went over to her window.

"What is it, Naruto." She asked calmly.

"There's a tournament thing, and you have to come down here right now, because otherwise you won't be able to enter! It's so cool! So hurry up, kay?" The blonde yelled.

Sakura groaned. This was not how she had planned to spend her day off from training. She had wanted to do some shopping, and then maybe get her nails done or something of that sort, but this little 'tournament' was standing in her way.

"It better be important…" She growled to herself, trudging her dainty feet down the stairs.

"Sakura HURRY UP!" Naruto yelled.

"What is it?" Sakura asked, half asleep, now in front of Naruto.

"Follow me!" Her blonde friend said, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the unknown.

After about half an hour of pulling and pushing, Naruto and Sakura had finally arrived at their destination, the tournament.

"Naruto, what kind of tournament is this?" Sakura asked timidly.

"Survival of the fittest!" Naruto yelled, enthusiastically.

Sakura groaned.

**Why did you have to come here? We could have been in the middle of a facial right now! **(A/N: Remember, that's inner Sakura…)

'Because I was being nice! What else was I supposed to do?' (A/N: thinking Sakura…)

**I dunno… tell Naruto to shut up!**

Sakura once again forced herself to ignore her inner self, which is honestly a hard thing when you think about it.

Sakura looked around at her competition. Some looked tough, other looked weak, some were small, and others were huge. It was about split between guys and girls, which she thought was a little strange. She turned around when she saw Hinata, Shino, and… Kiba. Her eyes immediately lit up.

'Ohh what should I do? Go over there and talk? Smile and wave?'

While Sakura was once again battling with her inner self, the three ninjas made their way over to her.

"Hi S-Sakura." Hinata said timidly.

"Hi guys. You're in the tournament too, I'm guessing?" Sakura said.

They all nodded their heads yes. When Sakura was about to start a conversation, she heard a man in the front of the group ask for attention. At once, all eyes were on him.

"Welcome to the Sham **(A/N: Sham … I just made it up, sorry for lack of creativity) **Tournament! As you all know, the point of this tournament is to get all of the five symbols stamped on your paper. You can find these stamps by searching thru these woods, but be careful of the other teams. It's basically survival of the fittest." The man yelled.

"What… teams?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, you will all be paired up randomly with one other person." said the man "in fact, the teams are listed right here on this sheet. Go take a look."

It took a bit of pushing and shoving, but Sakura had finally managed to make her way up to the sheet.

"Lets see… Sakura… Sakura… Here it is! I am paired with…. Kiba?" Sakura said.

For once, she had not wanted this. She was not the greatest ninja, had many weaknesses, and she did not want to show this to someone she wanted to impress.

'Dammit…'

**Why so sad? YOU'RE WITH KIBA! I mean, we're with Kiba…**

She gave a barely audible groan. This was not going to be fun.

"Hey… partner…" Kiba said, looking at the girl. "We should probably get over there…" He said, pointing at the starting line.

"Oh… right." Sakura said, once again trudging her feet to the gate.

She heard a sneer from behind her.

"You're in this tournament?" The boy sneered.

Sakura turned around.

'Sasuke?' She thought to herself. She had thought he had left this village for good, and now he's back?

Sakura, ignoring him, turned to Kiba. "We're going to win this. We WILL win this!" The girl said fiercely.

"Yeah… definitely." Kiba said, a little freaked out by Sakura's sudden burst of energy.

The man began talking again. "When these gates open, this tournament will officially begin! Ready… On you're mark… get set…"

**Yepp, that's chapter two! Wasn't happy with this chapter either… I'm gunna start all the fluffy stuff in the next chapter, so yeah Please R&R !**


	3. Chapter 3 And So It All Begins

**Hey guys! Well, so far this fic has been going better than I have planned... I guess. I totally have the whole plot formed in my head, so, don't worry, I know what I'm doing **

**Disclaimer: hmmm... if I owned Naruto, wouldI honestly be writing FANFICTION ? But, if I did own Naruto, I would make a life sized Gaara plushy-doll ! Man, I love that kid.**

**Chapter Three: And So It All Begins.**

"On your mark... get set... GO!" The man shouted. Hundreds of ninjas ran towards the gate all at once, pushing and shoving each other to their destination. Sakura braced herself to meet the forest's dark, damp climate as she ran towards the gate, Kiba by her side.

Akamaru barked. Sakura gasped when she saw Sasuke not far inhead of them.

'Dammit.'

**Shit. (A/N: ...inner Sakura... just reminding you)**

The young Uchicha's hair blew in the fall's light wind. He pumped his legs faster and faster as he raced his oppenents. A smirk seemed to be permanentaly planted on his face. Determination ran thru his body as he told himself _he would not lose_.

"Alright, Sakura, why don't we decide where to go to first..." Kiba said, scratching his head.

A soft blush appeared on Sakura's face. "...Oh yeah, I forgot..." She said, turning her head to hide her red face.

Kiba quickly took out a map. "Hmmm... It looks like we are closest to... The Sound Stamp. Which is in... this direction." He said, pointing to the northeast.

And, with that, they were off, jumping thru the trees in a very skillful manner. However, it soon began getting dark, and the two could barely see where they were going.

'Oh no... what if I fall or do something really clumsy and stupid? Then what will Kiba think! I better watch where I'm going...' Sakura thought worridly.

"Hey Kiba, do you know if we're almost there?" Sakura asked. She had began getting tired, and she had sore legs.

"We should be there... right about.. now." Kiba said, looking in front of them.

A light grey statue stood six feet tall in front of them. A little table stood right in front of it, with a little stamp perched on top.

"Well, I guess we should stamp our paper..." Sakura said, looking into the far distance.

"Yeah..." Kiba replied, doing what he was told.

You could tell the two were a little nervous around each other. They didn't exchange words much, and when they did it was short and to the point. Kiba truley wanted to start a conversation, but every topic he could think about sounded stupid. He opened his mouth, but only to shut it again, worried about how he would sound. Finally, Sakura broke the silence.

"So... This is an interesting tournament. I haven't heard much about it." She said.

"Me neither, but it must be important. I saw a lot of people from out of our town in the crowd. I even saw that sand ninja. Gaara of the Desert or whatever." Kiba replied.

Sakura shivered. It was so creepy how he could control sand like that... and she had heard about his 'Desert Coffin' and 'Desert Funeral' thing... It totally freaked her out. Just as she was thinking about the sand ninja, she heard a voice behind her.

"Kiba... I think we should get going... I think I hear something..." The girl said.

"Sure. Where do you want to go next?" He asked.

"Anywhere away from here..." Sakura said, checking her back.

The two jumped on a tree and began their search for the next stamp.

But, Sakura heard a loud ear splitting crack beneath her feet.

"K-Kiba!" She shouted, right before falling to her certain doom.

Akamaru barked. 'Ohh no! Should I jump?' Kiba thought.

An unknown force seemed to push Kiba off the tree and towards the girl, not caring if he got wounded or not, only caring for the girl.

The space between Sakura and Kiba became smaller, as Kiba reached out his hand.

"Grab my hand!" He yelled, stretching his arm out as far as he could.

Sakura nodded as she reached for Kiba's hand, praying that she would survive this fall.

SPLASH!

The young couple had landed in water.

"Where are we?" Kiba said, spitting water out of his mouth.

"We're in a... SWAMP! EWW!" Sakura said, jumping up, trying to shake the water off of her.

"Ew...ew...ew... soo nasty... ew!" Sakura murmered, still shaking in disgust.

"Well... at least we're not dead!" Kiba said, looking at the bright side.

Sakura looked over at Kiba for his optimistic quote. "Thanks for trying to save me... even if I was in no danger." Sakura said, giving Kiba a quick hug, then pulling back in embarrasment.

Kiba gave her a dog-like smile, a light blush appearing on his face, which he emmediately tried to hide.

'All right! She hugged me!' Kiba was dancing on the inside.

"Uhmm... why don't we try to get to dry land?" Kiba suggested. Sakura gave a nod in reply.

**All right ! Score ! Did you see that blush on his face ?!**

'Obviously.' Sakura thought to herself.

Sakura thought she heard a noise behind her. Was is a cracking branch ? Was is a splash of water ? Unfortunately, she hadn't heard it loud enough to decide.

As they got closer and closer to dry land, it became colder.

"Probably because the trees hid all the sunlight, and its night-time." Kiba explained, noticing Sakura's shaking body. "Do you want my jacket?" He asked sweetly.

Sakura did a back-flip in her mind.

**HELL YEAH !**

"Yes, please." She said calmly in reply. Kiba quietly removed his jacket, slowly handing it to the freezing girl. Sakura gave him a warm smile.

'Yes ! All right, go Kiba !' Kiba thought to himself, smiling back at her.

Sakura heard another noise coming from behind her. She grabbed Kiba's arm in an attempt to hid behind him, but instead she was facing the potential danger.

"What is it?" Kiba said, a worried look on his face.

"..I-I heard something..." Sakura said shakily. She turned her head into Kiba's chest, she was terribly frightened. Kiba embraced the scared girl, looking around him, checking to see if there was someone there. "It's okay... it's okay..." He said over and over. But everything was not okay. Akamaru barked, he had sensed the danger.

"Kiba, can we set up camp or just rest here ? My legs are killing me, and I'm tired." Sakura said, yawning her last sentence.

Sakura laid down on the floor, by a nearby tree. Kiba lay behind her, with his eyes closed but he was still very much awake.

Sakura heard another noise, and scooted over by Kiba. Her face was once again buried in his warm chest. Sakura was very drowsy when Kiba's arms magically formed around the sleeping girl, a smile on his face. This was going to be a very fun tournament.

**Yeppp, that's chapter three I hope you liked it, I tried to make it longer... Anyways, please Read and Review!!**

**And for all you Gaara lovers (coughmecough), I have a surprise for you in the next chapter! WOOHOO !**

**Gaara: Ohh lord... not that... **

**Me: Ohhh yes evil smile Please R&R !**

**Gaara: You just said that.**


	4. Chapter 4 Revenge and the Blizzard

**Hey everyone ! I have a four day weekend this week, so I'm going to be writing a lot out of boredome. And for those wondering why Sakura hates Sasuke's guts, that question will be answered in this chapter, in Sakura's dream. I hope you enjoy !**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. The only thing I do own is my new hollister hoodie ! Ohh whatttt p**

**Chapter Four: Sakura's Dream**

_She had spotted her love in the distance, standing by a cliff looking over at the sunset. She had noticed he had been ignoring her lately, was he just busy, or had he been doing it on purpose ?_

_"Sasuke!" Sakura boomed. Sasuke turned around._

_'Oh great... I better tell her...' The boy thought._

_They were both much younger, only thirteen years of age._** (A/N: They're fifteen in my story)**

_Sakura ran up, giving her boyfriend a hug, while he just stood there, waiting impatiently to tell her what was going on._

_"Why haven't you been around lately ?" The girl asked impatiently, waiting for the answer._

_"Been busy... Look Sa-" He was cut off by the girls angry voice._

_"Don't you tell me your busy ! I have checked with Tsunade, you haven't been doing squat lately ! So if you don't want to tell me what's up, maybe this just isn't working out !" She yelled, tears rolling down her pale face._

_Sasuke once again just stood there, heartlessly waiting for the girl to stop her dreadful wailing. _

_"The reason why this isn't working out is because... I have been seeing someone else." Sasuke said, boldly. He had just wanted to stop seeing the pink-haired girl. He never liked her, he wasn't even sure why he had asked her out. A memory flashed thru his mind._

_"The only reason why I asked you out" he started, "was because I needed someone to help heal me after I was wounded from that one fight." _

_Sakura gasped. He had never lover her. And she had never picked up on it. _

_'How could I be so gullible ?' She thought to herself._

_**Hey, gullible's not in the dictionary, wanna look it up ?**_

_'Ugh shut up.'_

_"But if you still want us to stay together..." Sasuke began, once again interrupted by the annoyed and angry girl._

_"No. Shut the hell up, I hate you. I should have left you to die !" She roared, running back towards home._

_Sasuke just stood there, a smile began to creep on his face. 'It was about time we broke up. God, that girl was so annoying.' He thought to himself._

_Sakura continued running home. She didn't want to stop on the way there. Maybe she should talk to Naruto ? No, he'd just be annoying about it and ask her out... What about... Ino ?_

_She used to hate Ino's guts, but they began spending time together, and she's really not that bad anymore. Sakura made a sharp left turn, in search for Ino._

_"Ino ! Ino !" She yelled after the blonde girl, hoping to catch her attention._

_"Sakura ! Oh my gosh, what happened ?" She said, looking at the girls swollen red eyes._

_"Sasuke... he was cheating on me, and we just broke up." Sakura said, and began crying again._

_"Oh... I'm so sorry... you know I'm always here for you if you want to talk." Ino said, giving her friend a hug._

_"Thanks." Sakura said, smiling at her friend. _

_Sakura then saw the reflection of Sasuke in a mirror behind Ino. _

_'Oh shit.' She thought to herself._

Sakura woke up, remembering that horrible day. It was still dark out, and they had better get moving again, in order to stay ahead.

She tried getting up, but she saw that Kiba's arms were in a death grip around her body.

'How am I going to get up...' She thought.

Kiss him ! That'll wake him right up!

'No...'

YES !

'No...'

DO IT !

'Ughh... fine...' Sakura said, turning over, facing Kiba's face. 'Am I really going to do this ?' She asked herself.

Don't make me come out of here young lady !

'...young lady ? You're me... I'm not any younger than you are.'

Just do the damn thing !

Sakura's lips moved closer to Kiba's, awaiting the moment when they would finally touch. They were about a centimeter apart when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Awwwe, the little couple is sleeping together ! How cute !" The girl's voice said.

Sakura flipped over, Kiba woke up. She saw a blonde girl only a few feet away from her. It was like girl Temari, and next to her was... the sand ninja, Gaara.

Sakura held her breathe. 'Oh no... it's that kid ! What if he kills me !'

**Just stay still. If he tries to kill you, push Kiba in front of yourself. I'm sure he wouldn't mind too much.**

'I'm glad you only stay inside my head.'

**Thank you.**

'That wasn't really a compliment.'

**Thank you.**

She shrugged off her inner self, who could be such a pain at times.

Kiba sat up, noticing the akward position they were laying in. "What do you want ?" He growled. Akamaru barked threateningly.

"Just passing by. Uhmm, Gaara, let's go..." Temari said worridly, hoping that he wouldn't try to kill anyone.

Gaara looked over at Sakura and Kiba, eying them up and down.

"Hn." He said, walking away.

"Why didn't he kill us ?" Sakura wondered out loud.

"Who cares, let's go !" Kiba said, motioning inhead of them.

Sakura felt a cold drop on her head.

"What was that ?" She said, looking up. "S-sn-snow ?!?" She said.

"What the..." Kiba said, feeling a cold drop on his head.

"It's falling fast, should we get to shelter ?" Sakura asked.

"I dunno... maybe it's part of the tournament ?" Kiba said. "I think we should keep going." He said.

"True." Sakura said, looking at the falling drops. It wasn't snowing too badly, and perhaps it would stop soon. Sakura heard another noise from behind her, and thinking that it could possibly be the sand ninja, she ran up ahead. "Let's hurry up." She said, speeding up.

The forest was really a beautiful place if you really looked at it. There was plenty of wildlife, and the trees were huge and colorful. The whole forest was huge, as big as the Amazon, which was why the tournament would last for a few days. The forest was also a dangerous place as well. During this tournament, many different ninjas were sent to scatter all over the area, steal stamps and be a danger to the contestants.

Sakura stopped in her tracks when she saw a familiar face hidden beneath a tree. She pointed him out to Kiba.

"Want a little revenge ?" He said, showing another dog-like smile. He had heard about Sakura and Sasuke's break-up from a while back.

'Ohh that's low.'

**Exactly !**

'Okay ! Mwahahaha.'

"Yes." Sakura said, smiling evily.

Kiba sent Akamaru to retrieve Sasuke's map, one which had two stamps on it. Sasuke must have been in a deep slumber, because he didn't even stir.

Sakura carefully peeled off the stamp, making sure not to make a noise. She had peeled off a stamp she hadn't gotten yet, so she stuck it on her map. The map was then given back to Akamaru to place back near the tree, and they were off.

Kiba and Sakura broke out laughing a few trees away. "Oh man, that was great !" Kiba said, trying hard to keep his composure.

Sakura almost fell on the floor. "That big air-head won't even notice until it's too late... or should we rub it in ?" "Sakura, you are truely an evil person, but that's cool with me." Kiba said, smiling evily.

"Okay. We should wait until we see them again. Like until the end of the tournament or something." Sakura suggested. "Yeah, good idea." Kiba replied.

All of a sudden, the snow came down even faster. A blizzard began in the forest, and everyone was being affected by it. The snow soom pilled up three feet high. "Kiba... I think we should find shelter." Sakura said.

A white dome building appeared in the distance. "Perfect." Kiba said. But then, everything went white. "White out !" Sakura shouted. "Kiba, where are you ?" She asked worridly. "Over here !" She had heard a voice towards the right of her.

"We should try to find a tree to use as shelter." Sakura said. Kiba silently agreed and walked slowly towards Sakura, finding her hand. Sakura felt a blush creep on her face, but luckily for her Kiba couldn't see it. "We need to stay together." Kiba said. "Ohh I see." Sakura replied. They slowly walked towards a tree, then climbed to the top of it.

Sakura, Kiba and Akamaru sat shivering on the tree. "Kiba it's soo cold." Sakura said, her teeth clattering. This was not the time to be wearing a dress, although Kiba's jacket was keeping her a little warm. Then she realized how selfish she was being. "Oh my gosh, Kiba I'm so sorry ! I forgot I took your jacket !" Sakura cried. "Oh it's okay. I think I know how we can get warmer." Kiba said, waiting for Sakura to reply. "And how's that ?" She asked. "By... well... hugging." Kiba replied, blushing a little. "Oh... well, okay." Sakura said, blush also appearing on her face.

**Ohhh yes ! This is the best tournament ever !**

'Shush. Keep your cool.'

**Ahh, who cares, he can't see me ! You know what you should do now ?**

'Ohh lord. What ?'

**Kiss him !**

'Why ?'

**Because he's hot !**

'No !'

**Fine, then just let the best guy in town pass you by. I have to go to a dentist appointment anyway. Bye.**

'A dentist appointment ? What ?' Sakura was very confused. Should she kiss him ?

'Maybe I should just do it casually... But how do you kiss someone casually ?'

"Hey, Sakura..." Kiba said.

"Yeah Kiba ?" Sakura replied. 'I wonder what he's going to say.'

"Well... this tournament has been really cool. You know, having you as my partner and all..." He said.

"Yeah you've been an awesome partner too. And thanks for trying to save my life back at the swamp. It was really sweet of you." Sakura said. 'Okay, this is your perfect moment ! Get ready and-'

Sakura's thoughts were cut off by a soft object touching her mouth. 'Oh my... what is that ?' Sakura thought, reaching her hand out to touch what it was.

Kiba !

"No problem." Kiba said, breaking the kiss. Sakura returned to favor, this time giving Kiba a much deeper and longer kiss.

**YES ! I thought you didn't have the guts a little while back. But you really proved me wrong.**

'Thanks ?'

**Your welcome.**

Sakura's inner self was pumping a fist in the air. Akamaru curled up on Sakura's lap, he had warmed up to her.

They broke apart, and Sakura leaned back on Kiba, resting her head on him (again.). Although it was an uncomfortable postion, Kiba didn't mind at all. He was too busy thinking about that kiss...

Two pissed off people were running on the ground, hungry for revenge.

"Where is that damned girl !" The boy roared.

* * *

**Yepp, that was chapter four ! I hope you all liked it. And Sakura's dream was actually what happened between her and Sasuke, in case you didn't catch on. And I hopefully will write another chapter tomorrow, so be prepared !**

**Also, I will put Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, Gaara, Temari, Shikamaru, and Ino in the next chapter, I hope. **

**Please R&R !**


	5. Chapter 5 Safety of the Dome

**Hey guys. Before you read the chapter, I just want to give a shoutout to all of my reviewers ! You guys rock ! If it weren't for you, I prolly would have stopped writing at chapter one. Thanks so much !**

**Anyways, here's chapter five ! Enjoy **

**Chapter Five: Safety Dome (lame title, I know...)**

The snow did not stop, nor did it slacken. The forest was covered in thick layers of this icey wonderment, and it wasn't just Sakura and Kiba who were confused.

"N-Naruto, w-why is it s-snowing ?" A freezing Hinata asked.

"No clue ! Hey, look ! A dome ! Let's go in it !" Naruto said, energetically making a notion to the huge white dome.

"O-okay Naruto." Hinata said, clicking her fingers together.

The two raced off towards the huge white dome. 'I wonder what's inside it?' Naruto wondered.

"But why is it snowing so hard ? It usually never snows like this here." Naruto said.

Naruto looked up in the sky, which was filled with snowy drops. It was odd, especially during fall, to see it snow. Hinata heard something from behind her.

"N-Naruto... there's s-something beind u-us." She whispered.

Naruto immediately turned around. "Who is it ? Show yourself coward !" He yelled.

"Coward ? Why, Naruto, we know each other very well." A familiar voice spoke.

Hinata gasped. Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you left us." He retorted.

The voice cackled. In a second Naruto and Hinata were knocked out.

... (changing scenes)

"Why the hell is it snowing !! I am FREEZING !" An angry Ino shouted.

The lazy Shikamaru shrugged. He continued walking thru the blizzard.

"Shikamaru, how am I supposed to get warm !" She screamed.

Shikamaru grabbed her arm and pulled her towards himself. He sighed. "Happy ?"

"Pshh." Ino said.

However, on the inside, Ino was very happy. She had never told anyone, not even Sakura, that she secretly liked the lazy boy. Sure, she gave little hints, but not enough for Sakura to catch on.

The couple slowly walked thru the snow. Ino desperately wanted to tell Shikamaru how she felt, but she didn't want to get hurt.

'Ughh... should I tell him ? Maybe if he doesn't like me back, he'll pretend he never heard me ! But then that would just be akward... we would never be friends again...'

"Ino, did you hear me ?" Shikamaru asked.

"Oh, sorry, no. I spaced out. What were you saying ?" Ino asked.

"I was wondering... if you'd... like to go out with me for dinner some time after this tournament or something..." Shikamaru asked, trying to sound bored. He had really gotten closer to Ino over the past day. She cracked a few jokes, and seemed pretty tough and outgoing. He liked that in a girl **(A/N: Ohkay, it's my story, so that is what turns Shikamaru on, lol)**

'Please say yes. It would be much too troublesome if she said no...'

"Yes !" Ino yelled, hugging Shikamaru tightly.

The couple were being followed by a mysterious stranger, and they did not even notice. Ino was too excited, and Shikamaru was too lazy to bother.

The two also approached the white dome, from the southern side of it.

"Should we go in ?" Ino asked.

"It would be rather troublesome, but sure, whatever." Shikamaru said lazily.

They soon came to a door and opened it. It looked like a large cafeteria on the inside, with tables and food, and blankets. Ino noticed the man who announced the point of the tournament.

"Good, more people have come ! This snow is driving me crazy ! Grab a blanket and sit down somewhere. Please don't cause a ruckess." The man said.

"He seemed... nice..." Ino said, grabbing a blanket from the man. Shikamaru did the same and then looked to see if they saw anyone they knew.

"Let's see... nope... nope... oh super, it's that Gaara kid... oh look, there's Chouji !" Ino yelled, pointing to the large (A/N: or circumfurencly challaged, as my teacher would say) boy in the corner, eating as if he had not eaten in a week.

Shikamaru heard another pair walk in thru the door. He would normally be too lazy to see who it was, but he was interested so he turned around. He saw Tenten run in with Neji, out of breathe.

"Shikamaru ! Ino ! Naruto and Hinata are outside, unconscience !" The girl said, horrified.

"Well bring them in, don't let them freeze to death !" Ino commanded. Ino had also gotten to be friends with the shy girl Hinata, but Naruto still annoyed the hell out of her.

Ino and Tenten rushed outside, trying to locate their knocked-out friends.

"There !" Tenten shouted, pointing towards the right of them. They quickly ran over to the cold couple, picked them up, and brought them inside to help them recover from the freezing weather.

'Where the hell is Sakura ?!?' Ino thought nervously to herself.

... (with Sakura and Kiba)

Kiba slowly opened his eyes, knowing all he would see was white. He saw Sakura sleeping, still leaned on him. Kiba felt a pain in his back, he knew sleeping in that position would not do him well.

'Ugh.' He thought to himself.

He leaned his head towards Sakura. Maybe he could have some fun before she woke up.

"Sakura." He said softly to the sleeping girl.

"Sasuke you bastard..." She said, throwing a punch to an imaginary Sasuke. Kiba smiled.

"No, it's Kiba." He said to the still sleeping girl.

"Kiba ?" She said, smiling in her dream.

"Sakura, wake-up." He said again, softly.

"Ughh just three more hours, please." Sakura said, this time awake.

"Sakura, we are going to freeze if we stay out here. It's too cold, and only one of us has a jacket. Even Akamaru is cold." Akamaru barked at Kiba's comment.

"..fine." Sakura said, getting up. She slowly walked in front of her, but suddenly slipped.

"Not again !" She said, flailing her arms around, trying to catch her balance.

Just when she was about to fall off, Kiba grabbed her waist, and pulled her towards him.

"Thanks..." Sakura said, her face turning as red as her dress. Kiba noticed her blush and let go of her.

"Uhmm, we should probably get going... why don't we go to that dome over there ?" Kiba said, pointing towards the dome (which everyone else was in).

Akamaru jumped on Kiba's head as Kiba and Sakura climbed down the tree and began walking.

Their hands touched by accident, and both of their faces turned bright red. Sakura decided to be brave, and grabbed a hold of Kiba's hand. She glanced over at Kiba, who was staring at her. They began to get closer, hands still clutched together, Sakura bit her lip and went in for the kill. Their lips brushed when a loud friendly voice screamed their names.

"Sakura ! Kiba ! Hey -what are you doing ?" Ino said, examining the situation.

"Oh... have fun you two !" She said, winking at them.

Sakura gave Kiba a quick peck on the cheek, and they both walked towards the dome, hand in hand.

What the group didn't know was that there was danger lurking about.

* * *

**Yeppp, that was chapter five ! Fluffy fluff fluff... Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed ! Chapter Six should be up tomorrow, I hope. Please R&R !**


	6. Chapter 6 Danger Revealed

**Hey guys ! This is chapter six ! Thanks again for all of my reviewers support, you guys are great !**

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own are my gummy bears. Woohoo eats**

**Chapter Six: Hidden Danger**

The young couple slowly walked towards the dome, hand in hand.

**Ughh why did Ino have to interupt us!**

'She was trying to be nice. She probably missed us, or was worried.'

**Still !**

Sakura turned off her inner self. She knew Ino would be fine with her liking Kiba, but she wasn't sure about her other friends. Hinata would be too shy to speak up, Naruto might not be okay with it, and she wasn't sure about the rest of them.

Kiba began thinking about the same problem.

'Doesn't Naruto like Sakura ? I know he used to... Oh well, who cares. Too bad for them. Hmm... but still...'

Kiba and Sakura finally opened to door, and when Sakura looked inside, she saw a blonde girl running towards her.

"SAKURA !! We were so worried !!" She shouted, bear-hugging her friend. "Ino... I... can't... breathe..." Sakura barely managed to say. "Oh, sorry !" Ino said, releasing her.

"Sakura, I have awesome news ! Shikamaru, he asked me out !" Ino squeled.

Sakura let out a squel, and smiled at her friend. "Ino, that's great ! I knew you liked him !" Sakura said.

"Yepp. Ohhh, and how's Kiba ?" Ino said with a smile on her face.

Sakura blushed. "Oh... he's good..." She said nervously.

Ino's smile broadened. She knew there was definately something up between the two.

'I mean, they were holding hands ! And they almost kissed... well, if I hadn't shouted their names, let would have. Darn it.' Ino thought.

The dome soon became filled with people. It was freezing inside, and Sakura was very glad she had Kiba's jacket. Although Sakura had a gut feeling something would happen, she ignored it, thinking it was just something she ate that was disagreeing with her stomache.

"Well, Sakura, why don't we go over to Kiba, Shikamaru and the rest of them." Ino said, a smile plastered on her face. The two girls began walking over to the rest of the group.

"Hinata ! How's the tounrament going... with your partner." Sakura said, waiting to see how Hinata would handle her question.

"G-good." Hinata replied, smiling a bit.

'Hah ! I knew it ! She is crazy for Naruto.' Sakura thought.

Just then, somebody walked thru the door. He was wearing a dark outfit and a smirk was permanentaly stuck on his face.

**Dammit. It's Sasuke.**

Sakura tried hiding herself behind Kiba, but unfortunately it's not hard to spot someone with pink hair. Luckily for Sakura, Sasuke and his partner totally ignored their group. He thought he was too good for them, and made his way across the room to sit down. But then, there was a disturbance.

"Wait a minute. You !" Sasuke said, pointing to a very scared pink-haired girl.

**Shit.**

"You stole our stamp ! You're DEAD." He roared, running towards the girl.

**Shit shit shit. I'm dead... I'm dead...**

"Pathetic. Attacking a little girl ? Too wimpy to fight a guy, I suppose." A certian red-haired guy said.

It's not like he was trying to help out the girl. He just wanted to pick a fight. Gaara had always wanted to fight Sasuke again, wanted to crush him for his blood.

Sakura silently thanked the blood-thirsty demon, and stepped behind Kiba.

"Whew... I thought I was dead." Sakura said to nobody in particular.

"Please. He would have had to go thru me." Kiba said, smiling at Sakura.

Sakura saw Ino mouthing something to her. "How cute !" Ino mouthed.

"Pathetic ? Me ? Hah. You couldn't even defeat me at the Chuunin Exams. I doubt you've gotten any better." Sasuke said. He would soon regret those words.

Gaara just stood there, bored, as his sand silently moved towards the unexpecting boy.

'Too bad for him.' Gaara thought.

The sand soon wrapped around the boy's feet, he tried to break free, and he just barely did. Sasuke lunged at the smug demon with all his force. A wall of sand blocked him. He ran face-first in the sand, and the sand began wrapping around his head.

"Shit." He muttered. He twisted and threw his head about, nearly breaking free when a voice was heard.

"What do you think you're doing ! This is a safety zone, no fighting !" The voice boomed. It was the man, whose name is unknown because the author was too lazy to come up with one.

The sand spilled on the ground.

"Whatever." Gaara said.

Sasuke made no noise as he slowly walked back towards his partner.

"Don't worry, Gaara of the Desert. I will get you." Sasuke whispered harshly.

"We'll see about that." Gaara replied.

Sakura stood behind Kiba, terrified. The group sat down at a table, and began eating in silence.

'Sakura looks so cute when she's scared.' Kiba thought to himself.

"So. Shikamaru. How was the tournament going with Ino ?" Sakura asked.

Shikamaru grunted. "Fine." He said lazily.

Sakura smiled at this comment.

"Oh, didn't you ask her our to dinner ?" She asked again.

Shikamaru's eyes widened.

"You asked Ino out ?" Naruto said, smiling a foxy grin.

Kiba and Naruto almost fell out of their seats laughing. "Who would have thought Shikamaru would have asked anyone out !" Naruto said, in between laughs.

"Well I think they make an adorable couple !" Sakura said, trying to help out her friend.

Naruto and Kiba began laughing even harder.

"Why is it so funny ?" Sakura thought out loud.

"Oh, nothing, nothing." Kiba said.

Shikamaru, angry asked Kiba a question. "Well, it looked like you and Sakura were having some fun when I saw you outside the dome."

Kiba stopped laughing. Both his and Sakura's faces turned red.

"Uhmm, well, see... Sakura had a... bug on her lip, and I tried to squish it..." Kiba said lamely.

"With your lip ?" Shikamaru said smugly.

"Uhmm... yeah..." Kiba said, scratching his neck.

"There was no bug on Sakura's lip. I would know." Shino said.

"Shino, we knew that." Ino said, pointing out the obvious.

Sakura blush turned into an even darker shade of red, and turned around. She saw Gaara and mouthed a 'thanks' to him. He just rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Uhm, how about we play a game." Sakura said.

"Yeah ! Like.. spin the bottle !" Ino said. Sakura breifly remembered her dream (A/N: The dream in chapter one).

"Uhmm.. how about truth or dare instead ?" Hinata said in a whisper. Sakura silently thanked her.

"Yes, truth or dare !" Sakura shouted.

"Okay. Kiba, truth or dare." Ino asked.

"Uhmm.. dare." He replied.

"I dare you... to dress up like a girl in a dress !" Inoo shouted.

"What ??!?" Kiba replied. Akamaru barked in disagreement.

"Awwee come on Kiba, I'm sure you'll make a pretty girl." Sakura said in a sweet tone.

"Ohhh, I'll get you back Sakura." Kiba said, before getting thrown a dress and walking off to change.

**CRASH !**

The dome now had a huge hole in it's side. Sakura was knocked out before she could even gasp.

The mysterious person grabbed Sakura and ran off.

"Damned brother." Sasuke said before running over to the hole in the wall.

'Sasuke knows him ?!' Ino thought, rushing over towards him. This would not be a fun night.

"SAKURA !" Kiba yelled.

* * *

**Well, that's chapter six ! Please R&R ! Chapter Seven should be up tomorrow !**

**Gaara: I soo could have killed that damned Sasuke in that chapter.**

**Me: You would have, but I need Sasuke for my plot.**

**Gaara: Damned plot.**


	7. Chapter 7 That Damned Brother

**Hey ya'll (no, I'm not from the south... I just felt like saying that). Sorry for not updating yesterday, my internet was down. Please forgive me for the delay, and enjoy !**

**Disclaimer:**

**Gaara: But why am I tied to a chair ?**

**Me: JUST SAY IT !**

**Gaara: No.**

**Me: (pulls out his teddy bear and a marker) Don't make me do it.**

**Gaara: Fine ! Shea does not and never will own Naruto...**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: That Damned Brother**

"Shit ! Where the hell did they go ?" Kiba said, inspecting the wall. His teeth were bared as he looked outside into the snowy landscape. He wouldn't survive long without his jacket, he would surely freeze to death. Sasuke stood there smirking.

"Psh. Stupid brother, I know where he's going." He said, a bored expression on his face.

"What if she dies !!" Ino said horrified, nearly fainting on the spot.

"She's not going to die. Itachi wouldn't kill his bait." Sasuke said, still bored.

"Bait ?" Kiba asked, a little annoyed. "You know where he is and what he's doing with Sakura ???" He queried.

"Of course I do. It's so obvious." Sasuke said, looking back outside.

"Well could you maybe TELL US ?!?!" Ino shouted, hands curled into fists.

"Whatever. Just follow me." Sasuke said cooly, walking out into the snow.

"Here... Kiba, you can have this. You're going to need it more than me." Tenten said, handing Kiba an extra jacket.

"Thanks." He said, giving her a warm, toothy smile.

Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto and Hinata all followed him. They were desperate to find Sakura, their dear friend. Little did they know that Gaara, Kankuro and Temari were secretly following, Gaara was waiting for the right time to kill the young Uchicha.

"I feel like we're being followed." Hinata said nervously, turning around.

"Ahh, it's nothing ! Probably just a bird or something." Naruto said, shrugging it off.

"Damn, that girl knows we're here." Temari said, creeping thru the trees. Gaara remained silent, still walking a steady pace.

"Gaara just wants that pink haired girl, doesn't he ?" Kankuro said, laughing.

"Shut up. I just need to get to the girl first, take her, and then get Sasuke to fight me. I want to destroy that little pest." Gaara said, not even looking at him.

"Sure..." Temari said, winking at Gaara.

'Damn sister. Can't even take me seriously.' Gaara thought to himself.

**... (Sakura's POV)**

I woke up, feeling a pain in my head. "Ouchh..." I said, feeling my head as I got up from the hard cement ground.

'Where am I ?' I thought to myself.

**What happened ?**

'No clue. Let's ask that guy over there.' I thought, mentally pointing to the guy hidden in a dark shadow.

"Uhm, excuse me, but where am I?" I asked sweetly to the young man.

"Shut up. You're lucky I didn't leave you outside to freeze." He said boredly.

"Why am I here ?" I asked with fear.

"You're being held hostage." The man said simply.

"Why ?" I asked, confused.

The young man ignored my question as he looked outside thru a window. I spotted a door not too far away from me, so I decided to sneakily get up and run away.

"What the-" I exlaimed, when I had tried to get up I was bounded down by ropes.

'Damn, he tied me up !' I thought to myself.

The young man laughed at my struggle to get up. His laugh was cool and icey.

"Who are you ?" I asked, now annoyed.

He laughed his icey laugh again before turning to me. His eyes... his eyes were a bloody red... was it... a sharingun ?

"My name is Uchicha Itachi." Itachi said, and began telling me about his life story...

**... (back with Kiba and them)**

"How long have we been walking ?" A tired Ino asked, nearly collapsing on Shikamaru, when he just barely caught her.

"Not long. Only a few ten hours." Sasuke said boredly. The group moaned.

"Can't we take a break ?" Shikamaru asked lazily.

"Ugh fine. But I guess you don't want to find-" Sasuke couldn't even finish his sentence, everyone except himself had plopped on the ground.

'Lazy bums.' He thought to himself.

"I want to find Sakura... It's just that I'm exhausted." Kiba said, more towards himself then the others.

"I hear yah !" Ino said, plopping her head back down on Shikamaru's chest.

Kiba secretly really missed Sakura. He wouldn't admit it to his friends, but he missed her smile, her warm embrace, her sweet aroma, and her soft lips.

Akamaru barked towards Kiba.

"Yeah, I miss her too..." Kiba said softly to Akamaru. Kiba noticed how Akamaru didn't mind sitting on Sakura's lap, which he never did with someone he disliked. Akamaru would now let Sakura pet him and hold him close. Kiba was very glad to see Akamaru warming up to the girl, he was hoping for these results.

"Kiba, can you hear me, or are you too busy thinking about Sakura ?" Naruto asked with a foxy grin on his face.

"Uhmm.. I must have dazed off. What were you saying ?" Kiba replied, blush appearing on his face.

"I was saying that we're going to walk to that cave over there," Naruto said, pointing to a dark looking cave. "so we can make a fire and stay warm."

"Okay, sure." Kiba said, slowly getting up. The cave was not puney, but it was certainly not huge. It was about as big as a large bedroom, and quite comfy once you found a nice mound of dirt to lay your head on. In fact, once you had a nice campfire going, it wasn't too bad at all.

Kiba stripped off his jacket and laid it right behind him. He curled up like a dog and slowly fell asleep, Akamaru by his side.

"Sakura... please be safe." He whispered, closing his eyes.

Gaara and the Sand Siblings quietly watched them from afar.

"When do we attack ?" Temari asked.

"We don't. We wait to find the girl. Didn't you listen to my plan ?" Gaara answered, annoyed.

"You better hope she's good and safe. Might not fight us if she's dead, now will he." Kankuro said, bored as usual.

"Gaara, I'm so tired. Can't we get some sleep ?" Temari asked in a sweet tone.

"You can. Not like I can." Gaara replied.

'Ugh, that little girl better be good and safe if I'm wasting my time like this. I was partners with a pretty hot chick !' Kankuro thought, annoyed.

But was she safe ?

* * *

**Well, there was chapter seven ! I really hope you liked it !**

**Gaara: And since Shea (that's me.. the author) is threatening my teddy bear, I'll say it. Please R&R... or else I'll kill you.**

**Me: I never told you to say the last part !**

**Gaara: I know.**


	8. Chapter 8 Double Kidnap ? Or not

**Sorry for not updated yesterday, I had a really busy schedule. I wil probably start updating every other day, sorry **

**Anyways, I hope you all enjoy chapter eight.**

**Disclaimer:**

**Gaara: Since Shea is still keeping me hostage in a cardboard box, she obviously does not own Naruto, otherwise she would at least have enough money to feed me... damned kid...**

* * *

Chapter Eight: Double Kidnap ? 

Kiba woke up with a sweat, remembering his dream from last night.

(The dream is in Kiba's Point of View)

_The snow had began slackening for quite some time now. I rushed into the small one-room house, out of breathe. "Sakura !" I roared, waiting to hear a reply, or a cry, or anything._

_Sasuke walked through the door behind me. He only came to look for his brother, we all knew that. Ino and Shikamaru had followed Sasuke into the house. Naruto and Hinata were inspecting the outside of the house, making sure it wasn't a trap._

_The room was not a colorful one, that was for sure. The wallk were painting gray, and the floor was just cement. One small window was located in the back of the room, but the glass was tainted a dark gray color. There were pieces of ripped rope layed limply on the ground._

_"Are you sure it's here ?" I asked Sasuke, getting agitated._

_"Yeah. Maybe they already left." He said cooly._

_"Already left ! Then where the hell is Sakura !?!" I roared, while Akamaru bared his teeth._

_Sasuke shrugged. "I dunno... they probably left a trail somewhere."_

_I punched the wall._

_'Dammit ! I had her, and I lost her !' I thought to myself._

_The group of us ran outside, searching for clues. The trees and ground were covered in snow, there wasn't a trace of plants or life anywhere. The snow had now completely stopped falling. _

_"Sakura !" I yelled, running to nowhere. If I could just find her, and hold her once more._

_"Sakura !" I yelled again. Then I saw her._

_I saw a glimpse of pink-hair from the corner of my eye. I immediately ran towards it, praying to find my beloved Sakura. But what I saw was a dead Sakura, laying limply on the ground._

_There was no life in her eyes. I kneeled down on the ground, and touched her face. It was ice cold. I had... lost her._

_"Sakura... no..." I whispered, hugging the girl. She was gone. I had lost her... forever._

_"NO !" I screamed again._

Kiba sat up, whiping the sweat off his face. His dream had scared the living hell out of him, and he was sure he wouldn't forget it soon.

Sasuke was already up and waiting for his other, in his opinion, pathetic companions. Naruto was too much of a pest, Kiba was emotionally screwed up ever since Sakura went missing, and Ino was a pain.

Ino was exhausted, still laying near Shikamaru. 'If we have to walk for that long like yesterday, I will surely die.' She thought to herself. She was surprised Shikamaru would come along, she though he'd be too lazy to bother, but she had thought wrong apparently.

Hinata was tired and hungry, but she wasn't going to complain to anyone, especially with Naruto there, making her even more nervous. As long as she stayed strong and didn't do anything too embarrassing, she figured she would be okay.

"I'm... so...hungry... must... have... ramen..." Naruto said, rubbing his stomach.

"I'll make breakfast..." Hinata said, shyly, looking down at her feet.

"That'd be great !" Naruto said, hugging the girl.

Hinata had cleverly pocketed some food when they were inside the dome, took it out, and began cooking it.

Kiba's stomach growled. He was starving, although he wouldn't dare admit it in front of that pretty-boy Sasuke. The only reason why he was follwing the kid was because he needed to find Sakura.He no longer just wanted to, he now needed to. He would never be able to live with himself if he couldn't find her.

Gaara and the Sand Siblings stood a few feet away from the mouth of the cave.

"Gaara, shouldn't we go ahead and find the girl first ?" Temari asked, still tired from staying up nearly all night. Spying on a bunch of teenagers was hard work.

"Fine. Do you know where the girl is then." Gaara asked, expecting the answer to be a no.

"Well, we can search. So far they have been travelling in a straight direction, and I thought when I went ahead a little bit I saw a little house or hut. Why don't we go look there while they're eating ?" Temari suggested.

Gaara sighed. "Fine." He said, jumping from one tree to the next. Temari and Kankura silently followed him.

"Do you think he's seriously going after that girl, Sakura, for revenge ?" Kankuro queried.

"Doubt it. I think he has some feelings for her. Did you see when he saved her ass back at the dome ?" Temari said, smirking.

"Yeah. Gaara is growing up so fast." Kankuro said, brushing a fake tear out of his eye.

"What are you talking about ?" Gaara said, over-hearing their conversation.

"Nothing." Temari said, smiling.

"I heard you, you know. And I don't like her. I'm using her for revenge." Gaara said, getting closer towards the house.

"Okay Gaara, sure." Kankuro said, smiling. Gaara would have killed him if he wasn't in such a great mood at the moment. Let's just say Kankuro was very lucky.

The Sand Siblings had finally reached their destination, the small house. Gaara quickly opened the door, and the unexpecting Itachi turned around in confusion.

'Damn... I should have scenced their chakra.' He thought to himself.

Gaara immediately knocked-out the young man with his sand, and threw him to the side. Sakura thought he was saving her, a smile was planted on her face. But was that really the case ?

Gaara began feeling confused. He kept telling himself he didn't like her... but did he ? Could he really kidnap her ?

'JUST DO IT.' Gaara thought to himself. He sighed, looked back at Temari and Kankuro who were whispering behind his back and smiling.

'Those bastards. They still think I like her.' He thought to himself again.

"Well... what are you waiting for ?" Temari asked sweetly.

"We're waiting for them." Gaara replied with a bored expression. Temari just turned back to Kankuro and starting whispering again.

... (with Kiba)

"We made it ! Let's go in !" Ino shouted enthusiastically. After a good breakfast, the group had walked a much quicker pase and reached the house, where Itachi was supposively hiding out in.

Kiba ran up and opened the door with caution. He saw Sakura sitting on the ground, with a knocked-out Itachi by the wall. He immediately ran over to the tired girl, and ferociously bit through the ropes holding Sakura down. Sasuke stood by the door, looking around the room.

"Something's not right..." He said to himself. Sasuke heard a blood-thristy laugh come from behind him.

"Why aren't you right." Gaara said, bits of sand whirling around him. The two were about to battle when the ground crumbled beneath their feet.

Everyone was now laying on the ground of an underground maze-type thing. There were walls, traps, holes and ladders everywhere. Sakura and Kiba were seperated during the fall, there was now a solid, unbreakable wall in between them.

'Dammit !' Kiba thought to himself, pounding a fist on the wall.

Gaara was standing behind him, annoyed that the sudden fall had ruined his plan.

"Someone probably planned this." Gaara said, more to himself than to Kiba.

'My plan is working...' Itachi thought to himself, hearing the voices behind a wall. A smile appeared on his face. "Come and play in the maze children." He said, before running off trying to track them down.

* * *

**Well, that was chapter eight. And the plot thickens ! Dun dun dannn... I actually did not plan that to happen, the idea just popped into my head so I went with it. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I am once again so sorry for not updating in a while ! My internet went down for two days, and yesterday I had tons and tons of homework. I will try to update some more.**

**Gaara: R&R. Or else.**


	9. Chapter 9 Le Maze

**Hey guys. I am sooo sorry about taking so long to update, but my internet has been down for days ! I'm very sorry, I wanted to work on my chapter so badly too ! So, here's chapter nine !**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, would I be writing fanfiction ?**

* * *

Chapter Nine: Le Maze 

Sakura's heart began beating faster and faster.

'Where the hell am I ?' She wondered.

**Shit. We're lost !**

'Again !?! Ugh.'

**Let's go kill someone !**

'Like who ? Why don't we start by finding a way out of here !'

**That's what I was gunna say next, chill.**

'Right...' Sakura thought, turning off her inner self.

She began running through the narrow hallway. Where was she going ? Who was she going to ? What corner would she turn at ? Sakura's questions ran through her head as she made a sharp right turn. She stopped short when she saw what was in front of her.

"Oh my god... it's..."

... (with Kiba)

'God dammit, where did that kid go ?' Kiba thought to himself, looking around to see where the red head went.

He leaned on the wall, feeling the path inhead of him. It was nearly black out, but a little bit of light from above shone down on the maze. All of a sudden he felt a lump in front of him.

"What the..." He said to himself.

It was a ladder, going downwards. Kiba slowly felt each step, making sure it was sturdy.

"Well, Akamaru, should we go down ?" Kiba asked his trusty dog.

Akamaru barked. The dog wasn't positive, thought he figured they might as well.

"Maybe Sakura is down there !" Kiba thought, trying to stay positive.

When he reached the bottom of the ladder, he expected to feel ground beneath his feet. But when Kiba jumped off the ladder, he splashed into a body of water, much deeper than his height. Kiba heard a hissing noise a feet yards away from him. He gulped quite loudly.

"What is that..." He said to himself, trying to make his was as peaceful as he could back to the ladder. Kiba felt something brush against his leg. "Oh... sh-" He was cut off by a fit of laughter coming from in front of him.

"AHAHA ! You fell for it ! You thought I was a monster or something !" Naruto said, laughing hysterically.

"Naruto ! I am trying to save Sakura ! Could you please be more serious ?" Kiba asked, annoyed.

"Ugh, fine, fine, be serious. But man, that was hilarious !" Naruto said, laughing once again.

Kiba bopped him over the head. "OW ! What was that for, geez ? Fine, I'll be serious." Naruto said, feeling the lump on his head.

The two friends began swimming over to the ladder, but they had some trouble finding it.

"Naruto... can you see anything ?" Kiba asked, worried.

"Nope. It's pitch-black out. Can't see a thing." Naruto replied.

"Well, I think there was land and a tunnel over there..." Naruto said, turning behind them

"How far away ?" Kiba questioned.

"Oh, only a few hundred yards." Naruto exclaimed.

...(back with Sakura)

'Gaara ?' Sakura thought, looking at the red head.

'What is he doing here ?' She thought to herself.

It was rather creepy, seeing someone who could kill you in an instant all alone in a dark maze. It was even more terrifying when she saw him staring right back at her. But, she realized that if anyone was going to start any kind of conversation, it was going to be her.

"So... you lost ?" She said, praying to dear god that he would reply.

"Hn." The Demon of the Desert said in reply. Guessing that meant yes, Sakura went on.

"I have no clue where I'm going... it's so dark. Do you ?" She asked, guessing that he would say 'hn' again.

"I... do a little bit." Gaara said. The truth was, he pretty much knew the way out by now. The third eye sand trick had recently come in handy, especially in this maze. Gaara now knew where certain paths had a dead-end when he hadn't even went down it.

"Well.. uhm, then should we get out of here ?" Sakura said. She was pretty damn lucky that he had not killed her yet. But for some reason, she felt he would not kill her. She felt the slightest bit of comfort around the red head, especially in a dark cave, where she knew someone was after her. Although she would never admit it to anyone, not even herself, she felt glad she had bumped into him.

Gaara nodded his head and began walked down the path, with Sakura following closly behind. Any footstep or noise made other than themselves would cause Sakura to grab Gaara's arm, and Gaara couldn't say he wasn't enjoying it.

**Oh, you're lucky.**

'Why.' He thought to his inner-demon.

**Can't you see ? She's beautiful.**

'Whatever...'

**Sure kid. Sure. Too bad she has the dog-boy already.**

'I could care less. I have no feelings for her.'

**Then why are you letting her hold your hand?** His inner demon asked, a smirk on his racoon-like face.

Gaara let go of Sakura's hand, not even realizing that was what he was holding onto.

'Hah. There.' Gaara thought at last, and began ignoring the demon.

...(back with Kiba and Naruto.

"Where the hell are we..." Naruto said, holding onto his stomache from a lack of food.

"I think we're almost out of here..." Kiba said, trying to look farther inhead of them.

The two heard footsteps from behind them. Naruto immediately jumped behind Kiba.

"Thanks, what was that for ?" Kiba said, looking over his shoulder.

"Look, if you die first, I'll have something to eat." Naruto said, smiling.

'Jerk.' Kiba thought to himself.

Kiba walked a little farther towards the footsteps, and saw it was Sakura and Gaara.

"Sakura !" Kiba said, rushing over to her, giving her a bear-hug.

"Kiba !" Sakura said, wrapping her arms around him. You could imagine how much Sakura had missed him, she was kidnapped, then when she finally found him, she was lost in a maze.

"I missed you so much. I was so worried !" Kiba said, breaking the hug and putting his hands on her shoulders.

"I missed you too !" Sakura said, smiling at him.

Gaara glared at Kiba, wishing they had turned around when he heard their footsteps.

**Hah, I knew it.**

'Knew what.'

**You like her.**

'Do not, get off my case. It's just going to be harder with two more people... that's all...'

His demon smirked at him, knowing why he really glared.

"Gaara, are you okay ?" Sakura asked sweetly, noticing his random glare.

"Hn." He replied, walked off.

Sakura grabbed Kiba's arm, and began following after her savior.

'Why was she with him ?' Kiba asked himself. 'What were they doing ? If he touched her in any unappropriate way, I will kill him...'

"Kiba ! Kiba, are you there ?" Sakura asked, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Yeah. Sorry." He replied.

"Gaara, we need to find Ino and the others... Can you help us find them ?" Sakura asked.

"Anything for you, my blossom." Gaara replied, looking back.

Kiba glared at Gaara.

'Damn ! Why'd you make me say that !' Gaara roared at Shukaka

**Because I know you like her anyway, so I figured you needed a little push.**

Gaara shook his head, still pissed.

'I swear, if he says one more thing to Sakura...' Kiba thought to himself.

'Are they okay ?' Sakura wondered.

This maze was going to be anything but fun.

* * *

I am super duper ultra mega sorry for taking to long ! I feel so bad, but my internet keeps going down ! It sucks a lot, becuase I really wanted to write this chapter ! So, please R&R, and I hope you liked it 


	10. Chapter 10 I'm Not Okay !

**Hello fandome ! Sorry it's been so long ! I have been super busy with school work, projects, soccer, and my other story ! Please forgive me ! I really hope you enjoy this chapter !**

**Disclaimer:** Must I say it yet again ?

* * *

**Chapter Ten.**

Itachi heard every single word spoken in the maze, and he loved it.

He heard what Gaara had said to Sakura.

He heard which direction they were going.

He knew what trap they would fall into.

Laughing quietly to himself, he began sprinting to his prey.

**...(with Ino and Shikamaru)...**

"SHIKAMARU, GET OFF YOUR LAZY ASS !" Ino shouted at the sleeping ninja.

Shimaru woke up against his own will, angered at being interrupted while having such a nice dream about cloud-watching, of course. He sat on his butt and got into his thinking position.

"What are you doing now ?! I see a light over there, let's go !" Ino snapped, trying to drag the boy along the tunnel.

"Troublesome woman. It's probably a trap." Shikamaru said plainly. Shikamaru had already figured out what was going on, and had a plan on how to get out, but he was far too lazy to explain it to the stressing girl standing next to him.

Ino stood, trying to think of something else to do, after realizing that her plan had been foiled.

"Well, why don't you come up with a plan, smart one !" Ino was definately not in the greatest of moods anymore. All she had wanted was to finish the damn tournament and go on a date with Shikamaru. But, something always has to ruin great plans.

'How annoying ! Why can't Shikamaru just get us out of here !' Ino thought to herself.

Shikamaru sighed. "Just follow me." He said boredly, getting up, whiping dirt off his pants.

...(back with Gaara, Sakura and Kiba)...

Kiba was now pulling Sakura along with him, far ahead of the sand demon.

"Kiba, what are you doing ?" Sakura whispered so Gaara couldn't hear her.

"Look, Sakura, I'm sorry. But that creep is hitting on you, and it's pissing me off just a tad !" Kiba complained.

Sakura opened her mouth, but closed it again. "I'm sorry, Kiba. But I can't really control what he says..." She said, looking back at the red head.

Kiba nodded and stormed his way over to the unexpecting sand demon. "Listen, kid. I don't care if you're the Sandbox Demon or whatever, I tried being polite and nice at first, but Sakura is MINE, so please back off." Kiba said angrily.

Gaara replied with a classic "Hn.", and looked back down the dark tunnel. "This way." He said again. Kiba and Sakura shrugged and followed him down the dark tunnel.

**...(with Sasuke... _Sasuke's point of view_)...**

Where the hell was he ? I've been searching for an hour already ! I know he's going to pop out at me and try to scare me at first. Or is he after something else ?

I thought to myself as I sprinted down a dark tunnel, using my Sharingun.

Is he after... Sakura ? Or was he just using her as bait ? Or is he possibly after Naruto... or Gaara ? No... He couldn't be... He's definately after me. I know it. Of course...

I heard a loud noise behind me. A dark, gloomy laugh erupted from the shadows.

"Hello little brother." Itachi said smiling. I couldn't see him doing so, but I knew he was. He was most definately grinning under the shadows.

"Itachi." I growled back at him. I was going to have to watch my back, so I backed up against the wall, trying to target exactly where he was.

"Ohhh, don't think I'm going to kill you off first, oh no. First, I'm killing off your little friends." Itachi laughed.

"Friends ? I could care less about those pieces of shit." I responded.

"Oh but what about the little blossom ?" Itachi hissed, smirking.

I paused. I honestly was not sure how to reply to this question. I finally opened my mouth. "Do whatever you want. See if I care." And with that, I started running back down the tunnel.

I knew he was probably laughing at me, but I didn't care. I just needed to get him before he got me. That's all that mattered.

But then I heard a faint scream.

"Girls..." I sighed, turning towards the noise.

**...(with Sakura, Gaara, and Kiba)...**

Kiba continued walking behind Gaara, suspicious that he might turn around, kill Kiba, and run off with Sakura. Kiba would definately not let him do that. Ever.

Gaara unintentionally looked at Sakura, and he immediately heard a soft growling coming from behind. Rolling his eyes to himself, Gaara looked away.

_What a baka... he thinks I want Sakura..._

**You don't. I do. But you will soon, don't worry.**

_Shut up, dobe._

Shukaku laughed it off, and silinced himself. Gaara continued walking.

"I think-" Gaara was cut off by Kiba. "We don't care." Kiba said.

Gaara rolled his eyes yet again, annoyed at the young man's protectiveness over the girl.

Sakura sighed. She had tried ignoring their nearly silent fighting, but she couldn't take it any longer.

"Look, I know you guys are... angry with each other. But can you just be mature and get over yourselves, please! We need to get out of here, unless you want to die! We have no food, water, light, or directions! Not to mention that there's probably a homocidal maniac in here somewhere! So just CHILL." Sakura said, feeling a little better after letting her feelings out. She had learned letting out your feelings can reduce stress, so she had been trying to do it more lately. She definately didn't want any more stress in this situation.

Kiba and Gaara looked at each other. "Mkay." Kiba replied._ (A/N: not a spelling error... I meant for him to have the 'm')_ Gaara just kept his mouth shut. He didn't feel like talking to an idiot and a stupid girl.

**Might be stupid, but she's hot.**

_You're a freak._

**I already knew that. Come on Gaara, she'd be the perfect mate!**

_No._

**Please?**

_No._

**PLEASE!**

_NO!_

**Fine. Be lonely for the rest of your... lonely... friendless... loveless life!**

Gaara rolled his eyes yet again (A/N: I gotta start keeping track of these eye rolls, I might be able to break a record.) and began ignoring his inner demon.

Sakura walked straight, unaware if the wall's presence in front of her own face. She crashed hard against the dirt, and cracked her nose.

_'Ohhh..'_

**SHIT.**

Kiba immediately rushed to the scene. "Are you okay?" He asked worriedly. Sakura tried squinting her eyes, but she still couldn't see where she was.

"Uhh... no." She replied, closing her eyes and leaning her back against the once evil wall.

* * *

Sorry about the short chapter, but there you go! Kindah a filler chapter, but you know what Itachi's motives are now. Kinah. Hope you enjoyed!

ONCE AGAIN !! I AM VERRYYY SORRY ABOUT THE LONG WAIT! I HAD A MAJOR WRITERS BLOCK!

-thnx. R&R please !


	11. Chapter 11 Let's Get It Started

Ha, I bet you thought I was gone XD Well, I'm back ! New chapter ! Woohoooo ! Sorry about the wait, I've been busy with stuff. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 11. Let's Get It Started.**

Sakura felt the space between her lip and nose. She silently grunted when she felt a sticky substance.

Blood.

"Are you bleeding? It smells like blood..." Kiba said, leaning closer to the tired girl.

"Yeah, I'm bleeding." Sakura replied, ripping off part of her dress to soak up the blood with. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse... Must just be her luck.

Meanwhile, Gaara was having another battle with his inner demon.

**_'Blood.'_**

From the way Sakura was bleeding, Gaara already knew it wouldn't be long until Shukaku broke free, wanting blood. It was undeniable. He knew there was no way out of it... unless he got out of the area quickly enough...

Taking his chances, Gaara began running down the path, as far away as the two as possible. He didn't have much time... no. Luckily for him, Kiba was far too concerned with Sakura's wellbeing to notice him run off. However, Sakura noticed. Gaara could just feel her questioning glance burn into his back as he accelerated down the dirt tunnel.

Gaara felt something deep is his heart... something that almost saddened him. Almost made him want to go back and check on the bleeding girl. Almost.

**_'See? Told you.'_**

_'What.'_

**_'Gaara's in loveeee.'_** Shukaku howled in a singsong voice.

_'Hn.'_

_**'You can't deny it forever.'**_

_'Hn.'_

**_'Come on.'_**

_'Hn.'_

**_'Gaara. Don't make me come out there... Wait. I smell blood.'_**

Gaara cursed inwardly. 'Damn his amazing sence of smell...' He thought to himself, while continuesly trying to get away from Sakura and Kiba as quickly as possible. He stopped dead in his tracks when he began to clutch his head in pain.

Ready or not, Shukaku was coming.

**XOXOXOXO**

**With Ino && Shikamaru**

**XOXOXOXO**

"Did you hear that?" Ino asked worridly, stepping a little closer to Shikamaru.

"Hear what?" He retorted lackadaisically.

"Uhh... nevermind. Probably nothing."

The two began walking in nearly dead-silence, every once in awhile Ino would cough rather nervously, wondering if she was just hearing things.

"Shikamaru!" Ino said, turning to face behind her, where all she could see was black.

"What."

"Didn't you hear that!"

Shikamaru paused for a moment.

"I don't hear... wait... OH MY GOSH, INO LOOK OUT!"

Ino screamed in fear. She soon stopped when she heard an uproar of laughter coming from Shikamaru's direction.

"You bastard!" She screamed angrily, slapping his arm.

"I'm sorry... It was the perfect opertunity to screw with you..." Shikamaru uttered between his laughter.

"Ugh."

The two continued walking in silence, however this time Ino was eyeing Shikamaru angrily, and looking behind her just to check if someone was really following them.

Ino stopped for the third time today.

"Okay, Shikamaru, some one is definately behind us." She said, hands on hips.

"Well, this would be useful information except for the fact that we can't see anything, so we're pretty much helpless in this situation."

"What about your shadow jutsu thing?"

"Gee Ino, I don't know, what about my 'shadow jutsu thing'?"

"Can't you use it?"

"I might end up strangling you instead."

"Oh." Was all Ino replied to this. She was fully aware that they were pretty much screwed until they could see anything, but their prayers were answered when they saw light streaming down from a whole from above.

"Oh my gosh, I see the light. We're saved!" Ino cheered, shaking Shikamaru's shoulders.

"Woohoo."

Ino stopped her cheering when she heard a growl from up ahead, near the light.

"Okay, Shikamaru, you heard that, right?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Who is it..." Ino's question was answered when she saw a tan tail erupt from the shadows, being bathed in the soft moonlight from above.

"That raccoon freak. Ino, I think we should try to get out of here..." Shikamaru said, placing a hand on Ino's shoulder.

'Yay! He's touching me!' Ino thought to herself, smiling.

"Shika."

"Yes?" Shikamaru replied, raising an eyebrow at his apparently new nickname.

"I agree."

The two tried to walk backwards silently, but the silence was broken when Ino fell in a ditch and muttered a curse. The raccoon beast immediately turned it's head in the young couple's direction, giving the two a frightening death stare. They instantly began running down the worn path, not even bothering to look back, for they both knew the monster was chasing them.

**XOXOXOXOXO**

**With Sakura && Kiba**

**XOXOXOXOXO**

Sakura's nose had now finally stopped bleeding, or at least that was what the two had hoped.

"Where did Gaara or whatever go?" Kiba asked, looking around, though not seeing anything due to the darkness of the passage ways.

"I think he left us right when my nose started bleeding." Sakura replied, biting her bottom lip, trying to figure out why he would do that.

"Why though?" Kiba said, probably thinking the same thing as Sakura.

Sakura didn't know why, but she knew Gaara had left them for some important reason. What was that reason? She didn't know, but she was determined the find that out.

"Well... what do you think we should do if we ever get out of this place?" Kiba asked, a grin on his face.

"I would probably spend the rest of my life outside in the nice sunshine." Sakura replied. Kiba chuckled.

Sakura's stomach twisted and turned. She had forgotten all about her feelings for Kiba since they had gotten stuck in this wretched place; these feelings took her by surprise. She couldn't help but giggle in reply.

"I know what I would do." Kiba said, a huge grin planted on his face.

"And what would that be?" Sakura replied, sending him a questioning glance.

"I would love to take a beautiful girl out to dinner." Kiba said seriously, looking into Sakura's eyes (A/N: eyes that he couldn't really see because of the darkness, but knew were there XD ).

Sakura's heart nearly stopped. She knew he was talking about her, he had to be.

"I'm sure that girl would be honored to do so."

"Well, in that case, where would that girl want to go to?" Kiba said, his grin's surface area increasing by the second.

"I don't think she would mind, I think she'd just like to go anywhere with that gorgeous boy. That would just make here very happy." Sakura replied, giving herself a pat on the back for the way she had handled the conversation so far.

Kiba chuckled again. "I suppose we'll have to settle that matter later."

Sakura giggled. "I suppose we will."

**XOXOXOXOXO**

**With Ino && Shikamaru**

**XOXOXOXOXO**

"Shikamaru, if we don't make it through this, I need to confess something." Ino said, while trying to keep up her speed.

"Yeah Ino?" Shikamaru replied between breaths.

"Somehow, your lazyness turns me on."

"Ino?"

"Yeah?" Ino replied, now out of breath.

"Somehow, your bitchiness has been quite appealing to me." Shikamaru said, almost laughing at his own comment.

* * *

**Will Ino and Shikamaru out-run Shukaku? Will Itachi torture anyone? Will Sakura and Kiba make-out anytime soon? These questions will soon be answered in the next or upcoming chapters!**

**Ahh, love is in the air! Well, I have to say, I actually liked this chapter. I hope you did too, and if you did you should probably review!**

Thank you so much for reading! Next chapter coming soon!

-arigato, iiMNOTOKAY


	12. Chapter 12 The END !

**Hello, hello, hello. I am so so so so sorry about the super long wait! I've been sooooo busy with a lot of stuff over the summer!**

**Also, sorry about the loads of spelling mistakes! I don't spell many things wrong, but when I do, usually they're really obvious things, so sorry about it!**

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**The Storm - Chapter Twelve**

Sakura and Kiba walked, hand in hand, through the dark tunnel.

"Sakura!" Kiba nearly screamed.

"What?!" She replied, turning towards him.

"I think I smell..." Kiba sniffed twice. "Fresh air! We're saved! We're saved! We have to find the others!"

Sakura's eyes widened in happiness. Tears began rolling down her dirty face. "Thank Kami! And thank Kami for your amazing sense of smell, too! Well, which direction?"

Kiba sniffed again.

"To the right." Kiba said. Akamaru barked. "Yes, definately the right."

The couple sped off. Sakura was crying from happiness and Kiba was laughing like a maniac. Akamaru was barking his little head off, probably excited to see a color other than black for awhile.

Suddenly, a soft while glow filled their eyes.

"Oh my god, Kiba. It's... beautiful!" Sakura said, starring into the wonderful light.

"Not as beautiful as you..." Kiba replied, stealing a kiss on her now wet cheek. Sakura blushed and walked closer to it. She knew she could be out of here faster than she could say her name in one leap. But, she knew they had to get the others out as well.

"Kiba. We need to save the others." Sakura said.

Kiba sighed. "Yeah. We do. But how."

"I have an idea..." Sakura said.

"HEY, EVERYONE, WE FOUND THE EXIT! EVERYONE, COME HERE NOW! IT'S WONDERFUL, ITS FRESH AIR! HURRY!" Sakura screamed on the top of her lungs, praying everyone could hear.

**'Impressive.'** Inner Sakura said.

'Thanks, I learned it all from you, after all.'

**'Why, I'm touched.'** Sakura's inner-self whiped a tear drop away from her eye.

Suddenly, two figures came into view.

"SAKURA! THANK KAMI! KIBA!" Naruto shouted on the top of his lungs, following Hinata. Hinata looked extremely tired and worn out, dirt was all over her face and clothes. Her hair was a frizzed mess and was sticking out everywhere, but at this point in time, she could care less. Naruto's teeth were still a dazzling white, but his hair was spotted with brown and his jacket was over Hinata; she must have gotten cold.

"Naruto! Hinata!" Sakura and Kiba said together. They watched in glee as their two friends rushed towards them, smiling like crazy and quite happy to be finally getting out of the crazy place.

They joined in a rather small group hug, and quickly broke apart.

"Hey, where's Ino and Shikamaru?" Naruto asked, out of breathe.

"We don't know. We're still waiting for them. I hope they're okay..." Kiba replied, sniffing a few times, trying to catch a whiff of them, even though he knew it was useless. There was probably so much dirt and grime on them that he wouldn't be able to smell them at all, even if his smelling sense was increased.

"S-someone should probably g-go and get something hot to drink for u-us, right?" Hinata asked, looking at her feet.

"Good idea, Hinata!" Naruto shouted.

"Yeah! How about you and Naruto go and get them, while me and Kiba keep a look out for Ino and Shikamaru?" Sakura asked.

"Sure! Let's go, Hinata!" Naruto shouted grabbing her hand and pulling her into the fresh air. A blush could be seen on Hinata's dirtied face.

Once they were in the distance, Sakura turned towards Kiba. "Well, it looks like they'll make a terrific couple!" She said enthusiastically. Once they were out of the tunnel, Sakura would never complain about anything ever again. Life was far too short to.

"Agreed! But where are those two?" Kiba said, referring to Ino and Shikamaru.

Sakura's smile faded. "I don't know... I really do hope they're okay!"

"Me too."

The two waited in silence for a few more minutes. After twenty minutes, they began getting even more worried.

"What if something happened?" Sakura asked Kiba in fear.

"I think we should call for them..." Kiba said. They looked at each other for a brief moment. Kiba was shocked that even though Sakura was covered in so much dirt, and even though her nose was slightly swelling, she still looked so... perfect. He knew he was lucky to have her at all.

"INO! SHIKAMARU! GET YOUR BUTT'S OVER HERE! WE FOUND A WAY OUT!" Roared Sakura and Kiba, praying that they would hear them.

A few more silent minutes past, when suddenly a very loud scream was heard ringing throughout the tunnel.

"Ino!" Sakura gasped. She _knew_ it was her friend, and now it was just a matter of time until she saw her again.

"SAKURA! RUN! GET OUT OF HERE! THERE'S A MONSTER!" Ino shouted on the top of her lungs, she was now in view of Sakura and Kiba.

Shikamaru was right next to her, sprinting at half-speed most likely, and as soon as they reached Sakura and Kiba, they smiled, thanked them, and jumped up towards the light.

Sakura and Kiba now saw what they were talking about.

It was Gaara, fully transformed, and chasing them.

"Kiba, I think we should probably jump through now." Sakura said, referring to the hole above them.

"I agree. Let's go... NOW!" He roared, grabbing Sakura by the waist and jumping through the hole. The four ninjas were now safely out of the tunnel, and out of harms way.

Ino was shaking and was being hugged by Shikamaru, who was rubbing her arms, trying to warm her up. Sakura was now eternally grateful that Kiba lent her his jacket. It was so warm...

"What are we standing around here for?" Shikamaru asked the group, still attempting to warm up Ino.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked him.

"Well, shouldn't we be getting away from this place? Itachi and Gaara are in there and are very dangerous." Shikamaru replied.

The other three nodded in agreement. They began walking off to where Hinata and Naruto went off to, which was most likely the dome.

"I can't help but feel we're forgetting something..." Kiba said, trying to think.

"Me too..." Sakura replied. "Oh well." She said after a minute of thinking.

The four quickly reached the dome, and caught Naruto and Hinata outside of the entrance. Cups of hot liquid were set down on the snow, and the two were a little too... erm... busy to notice the other four.

"Uh... thanks for the drinks, you two." Ino said, grabbing one of the steaming cups.

Hinata and Naruto broke apart. Hinata's face was heavily blushed, and Naruto was smiling and scratching the back of his head.

"Yeah, uh, no problem..." Naruto replied. "Let's... uh... go inside, Hinata." Hinata nodded her head in agreement and the two walked back into the dome. The other four stood outside, sipping their hot drinks.

"You know, it is pretty nice outside if you're not trying to escape from a few raving maniacs. Everything's sparkling. And the trees are covered in ice..." Sakura said, looking at the beautiful landscape.

"I think I've had enough of this snow for awhile..." Kiba said, making his way towards the dome. The other three followed in silence.

Ino and Shikamaru headed for a table near a few of their friends once they were inside the dome, but Sakura and Kiba stood to the side.

"You didn't forget about what you promised, did you, Kiba?" Sakura asked him flirtaciously. Kiba chuckled.

"Of course not, Sakura. Pick you up at eight?" Kiba asked.

"Sounds fantastic." Sakura replied, smiling. The two walked over to the now crowded table.

But Sakura couldn't help but feel she was being watched. She brushed the feeling aside, and sat down next to Kiba, joining in on a conversation.

'Tonight at eight...' She said to herself, and all her troubles seemed to melt away.

**The End.**

* * *

**Wow!!!! I can't believe I FINALLY finished it! I am oober happy!**

**Thank you all soooo much for reading and reviewing! And putting up with the unfair waits for the next chapter (I apologize!)! But please please review, I think I finally wrote a pretty darn good ending!**

**I was kindah thinking of writing a sequel, but idk. Tell me if you want me to!**

**Thanks soooo much!**

**Arigoto!**

**-iiMNOTOKAY xoxo**


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